The New York Times is reporting that the first injectable H1N1 vaccines have shipped from vaccine maker Sanofi-Aventis. Previously, the first H1N1 vaccinations were to be the live virus type, in the form of a nasal spray. However, live virus vaccines are not recommended for certain groups including pregnant women, people with health problems, and adults over the age of 50 – some of the groups most at risk should they contract H1N1 infection. Sanofi-Aventis has a contract with the US government to provide 75 million doses of the vaccine, which will be provided free to physicians and health care workers. Health officials say there will eventually be enough vaccine for anyone who wants one, but priority will be given to high-risk groups first. The seasonal flu vaccine is currently distributed in sufficient quantity to the general public. Stay tuned to for up-to-date recommendations for the H1N1 vaccine as it becomes more widely available. [via Kaiser Health News]
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Tags: flu, H1N1, influenza, Sanofi-Aventis, Swine flu, vaccine, virus
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:44 am
In view of earlier experiences, I have reasons to doubt if the efficacy and safety of the vaccine has been properly assessed.
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:58 pm
I have a 20 yr old daughter that has Cystic Fibrosis. In the past the CF cliniv would give her and household members a flu shot to help protect her.This year the nurses or doctors suggested that it was time to get her flu shot or even mention the swine flu shot even though she went for an appointment there in September! Please, if you or a family member have health problems,don’t wait for your physician! Be assertive and fight for your child! This is the first year my daughter has came down with any type of flu,which probABY COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED had we not become dependent and so confident in the medical team at the CF clinic.
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:21 am
I am not comfortable with any of the flu shots…quite honestly, I got my first flu shot last year out of my 55 yrs and I have been sick more than I ever have been. As far as the H1N1 inject….that is out of the question for my 23 yr old….I am not going to let myself or my family be a guinie pig for the government. I just don’t think there has been enough study done to have a effective injection to prevent or help the swine flu…how do any of us know what the long term effects will be on our body?? Back in the olden days…they didn’t have all this different kind of preventive medicines that they promote today…you know as well as I do, that God has a plan for all of us, and if he says its time to roll…..then we’re rolling…no inject in the world going to stop that command…I know for myself, that I will never get another flu shot again….
October 3rd, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I’m 48 years old, and this is the first year I got the flu vaccine and have never gotten the flu. I work for a hospital, and security was standing at the employee entrances herding us into the hospital gym like we were cattle to get our vaccines. I could have declined but didn’t because I chose the lesser of the two evils by getting the seasonal vaccine. I wished I hadn’t. I had heart palpitations that sent me to the ED. I’ve been feeling nauseous and have had headaches ever since. I’ve survived all these years without this shot, and I refuse to take the H1N1 shot. If’ I’m required to wear a mask at work, then so be it. The vaccine developers were wrong last year about the strain of flu. I don’t understand why they think they are experts in choosing the strain of the year–I suppose it’s what the Ouija predicts. The H1N1 flu has 4 genetic components. If the developers can’t correctly predict a 2-genetic component flu, the H1N1 should really baffle them. Besides, I’m not too keen about the mercury preservative being injected in my body. No more flu shots for me.
October 4th, 2009 at 5:23 am
Can you be more specific on the actual dates of when the H1N1 shots will be in the hands of the drug stores? I am 87 years old and have always got he flu shots; I think that is why I got to 87.
October 4th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Well hopefully it won’t be the reason for not getting to 88…H1N1 is not striking the elderly, so maybe you want to rethink this inject….NOT ENOUGH research on this inject….all I see is the makers of this inject getting richer at other people’s expense…
October 4th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Don’t you realize that if the vaccine was effective, then they would have something that could “treat” this virus when people became sick!! So they throw a few ingrediants together and call it a preventative inject….think about it…if there is NO cure…how can there be a prevention??? Obviously…I am very against these so called “flu preventative shots” if you are going to catch the flu…you’ll catch the flu…if you die…its God’s will…not because you didn’t get some “money scam” inject…these silly companies put this stuff out…if it fails and people die from their “injects”, then they pull it off the market…file bankruptsy…change one ingrediant…and put it on the market, under and new name and avoid any and all lawsuits that could happen by filing bandruptsy…take your vitamins….wash your hands frequently….and cover your coughing with your elbow/forearm instead of your hands…
October 6th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
MY DEAR FRIEND, MOST DOCTORS ARE VERY NEGATIVE ABOUT TAKING
THE VACCINE, AND THEY ARE HAVE A GOOD TIME WITH ALL OF THE
NEGATIVE ATTENTION THEY ARE GETTING, BUT, THEY ARE NOT SUGGESTING
AN ALTERNATIVE.